Updates
Check back here for important project updates.
ELUCID Expansion | 2014 and beyond
The project may be over, but we are still thinking about ways to improve and expand ELUCID, and for new opportunities to work in the Saginaw Basin. Stay tuned for updates.
Project Close | September 30, 2014
Over the last two years, the Institute of Water Research (IWR) has worked closely with many partners on the “Flint River Nutrient Reduction: Focusing Action” project, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. A primary goal of this effort was to provide enhanced mapping technology to identify at risk areas contributing nonpoint source pollutant runoff to streams and rivers within the Saginaw Bay Watershed. Both the FRWC and Genesee County Conservation District participated in the development and use of the ELUCID (Environmental Learning Using Computer Interactive Decisions) mapping system. This system, freely accessible at http://elucid.iwr.msu.edu/, provides an interactive map of the Flint River Watershed and contains a wealth of environmental data. IWR found that if conservation practices are implemented on high risk fields identified by ELUCID, a reduction between 0.045 and 0.093 lbs/acre/year of soluble reactive phosphorus could be realized versus a reduction between 0.004 and 0.008 lbs/acre/year on low risk sites, using methodology by Lemunyon and Daniel (2002). This suggests that a potential 10 fold reduction in soluble reactive phosphorus leading to and improved water quality by using a focused conservation approach. ELUCID was also introduced to classrooms participating in the Flint River GREEN program. IWR has greatly appreciated working with the FRWC and Genesee Conservation District and looks forward to future collaborations. We would like to personally thank Sondra Severn, Rebecca Fedewa, Brian Schorr, and Laura Jostock for their time and dedication to this project.
Soil Water Conservation Society Conference | July 29, 2014
IWR presented results from training surveys at the annual Soil Water Conservation Society conference, and provided a brief overview of both ELUCID and the Great Lakes Watershed Management System.
Saginaw Bay Conference | June 12, 2014
IWR presented a case study of the Flint River Focusing Action project at the Saginaw Bay Conference. The ELUCID development process was highlighted.
MSU Extension SERV | May 29, 2014
IWR held a lightning webinar session for MSU Extension.
Flint River GREEN Summit | May 16, 2014
IWR held an interactive session Go Green Help Keep Our Water Clean at the annual Flint River GREEN Summit.
ELUCID/Field-Scale Analysis Training | May 7 and 14, 2014
A second training session on the ELUCID Decision Support System and the Field-Scale Analysis calculator was planned for January 7. Due to severe weather the training was postponed. The training was subsequently rescheduled for March 12. Due to another winter storm, the session was once again cancelled. Two sessions were offered in May 2014. Training materials are available here.
Flint River GREEN | February 27, 2014
The IWR team worked closely with the Flint River Watershed Coalition's GREEN program to incorporate ELUCID into classrooms. Teachers participating in GREEN received training on how to use ELUCID on February 27.
Updated ELUCID and Field Calculator | December 2013
IWR has been working hard on improving both the ELUCID Decision Support System and the Field-Scale Analysis Calculator. ELUCID has several new updates and can now be accessed at elucid.iwr.msu.edu. Please only use this web address for the system. Within the Great Lakes Watershed Management System, you can now save the scenarios you run! Create an account today.
Advisory Team Meeting | November 1, 2013
The next Advisory Team meeting will be held on November 1 in Flint, MI. Details are forthcoming.
ELUCID/Field-Scale Analysis Training | October 15, 2013
A training session for the ELUCID Decision Support System and Field-Scale Analysis calculator was held on October 15 at Mott Community College's Regional Technology Center. Materials from the training will be posted here. We recognize that several attendees were unable to attend because of the government shutdown and we will hold another training session in the coming months. Updates will posted here, on the training page, and registered trainees will be notified via email. Feedback from the Oct. 15 training will be incorporated into the system where possible. Updates will be posted in the forum. We encourage trainees to send us feedback by contacting us directly or posting on the project's forum. Contact information can be found here.
Ongoing Beta-Testing | July 11- August 15, 2013
Project stakeholders are currently beta-testing ELUCID. If you are interested in participating, please contact Laura Young.
Phase II ELUCID Evaluation | July 10, 2013
A second evaluation of the ELUCID decision support system was held on July 10 at Mott Community College. Participants from MSU Extension, NRCS, MDEQ, the Genesee County Conservation District and the Flint River Watershed Coalition attended. IWR is using this feedback to improve the system.
Advisory Team Meeting | June 19, 2013
The second Advisory Team meeting was held on June 19, 2013. We received wonderful feedback from our Advisory Committee and are looking forward to improving ELUCID and progressing further on the project. The IWR team is currently gearing up to finalize ELUCID and prepare trainings for the fall.
Flint River Watershed Coalition's Project GREEN Summit | May 17, 2013
IWR staff presented at the Flint River Watershed Coalition's annual GREEN Summit for schools participating in water quality monitoring efforts. It is hoped that products developed in this project will be able to enhance current school monitoring programs. Learn more about the water quality monitoring program here.
System Evaluations | April 11 and 30, 2013
The IWR team completed an internal evaluation of the ELUCID Decision Support System. On April 30th, project stakeholders participated in the Phase I evaluation. The technical team has been working hard to incorporate changes to ELUCID based upon the feedback gathered from both of these initial evaluations to improve the usability and functionality of the system.
First Advisory Team Meeting | February 19, 2013
The first Advisory Team meeting was held on February 19, 2013, at the historical Durant-Dort building in Flint. The IWR enjoyed meeting with the Advisory Team members and appreciated their enthusiasm and support. Members discussed existing efforts and major issues in the Flint River watershed. The IWR provided a demonstration of a prototype ELUCID system, and members were asked for their input regarding specific features and data they would like to see incorporated into the system. Potential themes the system could highlight were also discussed. The IWR is working on further developing the EUCLID system and incorporating some of the suggestions from the meeting.